Drillships

Türkiye's seventh-generation drill ship, Abdülhamid Han, has set sails for the Black Sea to start drilling in the region.

Abdülhamid Han vessel will move to its new location in the Black Sea, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told reporters on board the vessel, which is the fourth ship in Türkiye's deep sea drilling fleet.

The Turkish Petroleum Corporation has officially announced that the Abdülhamid Han drilling ship is set to embark on its operations in the Akseki-1 well located within the Mediterranean.

Türkiye's fourth drillship, Abdülhamid Han, will start its operations in the first half of August, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Sönmez has said.

The Abdülhamid Han is currently docked at the Taşucu Port in the southern province of Mersin, preparing for its mission.

Drillship Fatih, owned by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), started drilling its third exploration well in the Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea region, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez said yesterday.

Turkey's fourth drill ship will begin drilling activities next summer, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez said on Nov. 25.

The new ship, which is capable of operating in harsh sea conditions and even in high-pressure reservoirs, will join the fleet in the spring of 2022.

Turkey has added a fourth drill ship to its fleet of other vessels that include Fatih, Yavuz and Kanuni, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez announced on Nov. 17.

In a shared infographic on his Twitter account, he said the new 238-meter-long and 42-meter-wide ship weighs 68,000 gross tons and has a maximum drilling depth of 12,200 meters.

Turkey's cumulative natural gas discoveries of 540 billion cubic meters (bcm) in the Black Sea could cover around 12 years of Turkey's current gas demand if fully recovered, according to principal Wood Mackenzie analyst, Ashley Sherman, on June 7.

The increasing exploration and drilling efforts for new wells after Turkey's Fatih drillship discovered 405 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas in the Black Sea is about to bear fruits with further gas volumes.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will announce the recent developments in the field, which is expected to be about a new gas discovery.

Turkey's well tests for three wells in the offshore Sakarya Gas Field in the Black Sea are set to begin in May, the first of which will begin in the Türkali-2 well, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Dönmez said on April 20.

A rare 16th-century portrait of Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning Ottoman sultan, will be auctioned by Sotheby's.

The portrait of the sultan will be on live auction at Sotheby's with a starting bid of 60,000 pounds ($83,000). Estimates suggest it will be sold for around 80,000 - 120,000 pounds.